Ghana’s 4X100m relay team missed the first chance of automatically booking a place in the Paris Olympic Games after finishing last in their heat at the World Athletics Relays in Bahamas.
Racing in Heat 1 on Saturday, May 4, Ghana dropped the baton between Isaac Botsio and Benjamin Azamati.
This slowed the team down to finish the race in 42.70s.
The African record holders would have to wait for Day 2 to try and make it automatically to Paris.
Heat 1 was won by the United States of America (USA), whose time of 37.49s became the fastest in the heats.
That time also qualified the Americans to Paris for the Olympic Games.
Italy, who placed second, also booked a place in the Olympics after clocking 38.14s.
Brazil came third but could not get an automatic place to the multi-sport event to be held in July-August.
No African nation clinched qualification to Paris on Day 1 of the Relays.
Aside the ongoing championship at the Thomas Robinson National Stadium in Nassau, two other teams can qualify if they place at least 14th in the world rankings by the end of June.
